Is Xylitol A Healthy Sweetener?

Reader question: I've heard that some artificial sweeteners aren't healthy. Is xylitol a good sugar substitute?

Ashley’s answer: When it comes to sweeteners, there are several things to consider. First, does your sweetener fully exist in nature, or is it made in a chemistry lab? If it's chemically or genetically altered in a lab—and even if advertisers tell you it's "just like" or "made from" or "all-natural"—that means it's not really made in nature. To me, that artificial (in every sense of the word) sweetener isn't an option. In my opinion, there is no long term health benefit to saving calories by putting chemicals or chemically altered or genetically modified ingredients into your body.

Second, in the realm of nature's sweeteners, there are those that provide calories (like sugar, honey, etc.) and those that don't or provide a lesser amount: think honey or maple syrup compared to stevia or xylitol. We know that quality sweeteners in their non-chemically processed states give us quick energy and nutrients. However, non-caloric means that you are not getting any calories (their "advantage", according to nature), but you're still sending a message of high-level sweetness to your taste buds and brain. That can be confusing, and it's not a health benefit to confuse your body! So you aren't getting the calories, true, but you're also not getting the antioxidants, enzymes, vitamins, and minerals that natural sweetness delivers through fruit, for instance. Sweeteners like xylitol, a sugar alcohol, are processed to reduce caloric content, but they're still sweeter than those in nature and they lose their nutrition benefits, since they're made to pass through the digestive system. (Many of these sugar alcohols are irritating to the digestive system, though xylitol is typically less so than other sugar alcohols.)

In my segment on the Dr. Oz Show, we taper people off of their artificial sweeteners first by advising to exchange chemicals for natural options; however, we cap the daily quantity and discuss how to renew the palate so that they turn to real food for sweetness. If after considering all of this you do choose to consume xylitol, choose organic to avoid GMOs, make sure if it's made from a food source like corn or sugar instead of wood (seriously), and be wary that it could irritate your digestive system. Most importantly, consume it not "in moderation", but "infrequently" for optimal health. My advice? Have a baked piece of organic fruit or a starchy vegetable instead—how sweet, energizing, and nutrient-dense it will be compared to a sugar alcohol!

Chewing over a food quandary? Send it to AskAshley@Prevention.com

Ashley Koff is a registered dietitian, Qualitarian, nutrition expert, and co-author of Mom Energy: A Simple Plan to Live Fully Charged(Hay House; 2011)as well as Recipes for IBS (Fair Winds Press; 2007).